EHEDG Guideline Document 17
Hygienic design of pumps, homogenizers and dampening devices Pumps, homogenizers and dampening devices are widely used in the global food industry. That is why EHEDG has been developing hygienic design guidelines addressing these devices for a long time. Earlier editions of EHEDG Guideline Document 17 were published in 1993, 2004 and 2011, and in 1998, EHEDG President Huub Lelieveld appointed Ralf Stahlkopf as the first chair of the EHEDG Working Group Pumps, Homogenizers and Dampening Devices. So by now, Ralf Stahlkopf is more than well equipped to answer any of our questions on the development process, the content and the practical value of this comprehensive guideline update.
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How did the scope of this guideline evolve over the years? Ralf Stahlkopf: “This fourth publication still holds the same title as the first edition published almost 30 years ago. The first two editions focused almost entirely on rotary pumps, but right from the start, the working group members were aware that the document should also contain hygienic design guidelines for homogenizers and dampening devices. These devices were firstly included in the third edition and are now again addressed more in detail in this most recent guideline update. This was a sensible step to take because these device types belong to the same family components, with similar